“We say God and the imagination are one... How high that highest candle lights the dark.
Out of this same light, out of the central mind, We make a dwelling in the evening air,
In which being there together is enough.”
~ from "Final Soliloquoy of the Interior Paramour" by Wallace
Sunday Worship
The sermon for December 1st is But I'm Lonely, a Church of the Larger Fellowship sermon by Rev. Judith Walker-Riggs. “When fear grips the heart...may we bend and scoop some sand into our hands... Hidden among its grains are tiny seeds, at rest and waiting... Desert flowers. They endure. Moistened by our tears and by the rains which end even the longest drought, they send down roots and bloom...” What gets you through the desert times in your life?
Cuppa Joe
This past Sunday, we reflected on the stories that we are grateful for. You may have thought that the Thanksgiving story of the Pilgrims and the so-called "Indians" getting together for a feast was conspicuous by its absence among the stories that we shared. Read more...
First Sunday Food Collection
The UU's are known at the Food Pantry for being very generous and providing a variety of items that may be used by those in need. We traditionally bring donations and give the children a chance to collect them on the first Sunday of every month. All canned and dried foods are needed, but there is also a great demand for paper products and personal items such as toilet paper, facial tissue, deodorants, soap, lotion, men's shaving materials, shampoos and conditioners, etc. This Sunday, December 1, it would be nice if the children would have to go around the rows a couple of times in order to pick up all the items. Thank you in advance for your generous donations.
Christmas Outreach
This year our holiday giving will go to Christmas Outreach, which is a community-wide project that has helped numerous families in the last 20 years. Mari Potter will organize our involvement in this worthwhile endeavor. You can help in 4 different ways:
First Friday Potluck
Our monthly gathering to share a meal and have a fun social time together is happening Friday, December 6 at 6:00 p.m. Joyce Henricks will be hosting the potluck this month. Simply bring a dish to pass and your week-worn weary self to the UUFCM social hall for nourishment and rejuvenation - at least as much as can be gained from sharing a meal, conversation and laughter with friends. We hope you'll join us!
Guest at Your Table
The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC), an associate member of the Unitarian Universalist Association, is a nonsectarian organization that advances human rights and social justice in the United States and around the world. Through a combination of advocacy, education, and partnerships with grassroots organizations, UUSC promotes the rights of workers, advances environmental justice, defends civil liberties, and preserves the rights of people in times of humanitarian crisis. Its vision and mission are guided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the seven Unitarian Universalist principles that affirm the worth, dignity, and human rights of every person. On Sunday, November 24, we kicked off our congregation's annual celebration of the tradition of Guest at Your Table, a UUSC program. We asked that each family take home a Guest box featuring pictures of people from around the world, people who are working to defend their human rights. Along with each box came a copy of Stories of Hope which tells how UUSC works with courageous individuals worldwide to protect and promote human rights.
We are asking that each person or family take a Guest at Your Table box, put it on the table where they eat their meals, each day talk about one of the pictures or stories and then put their extra change in the box. At the end of the program, in about six weeks (January 5), we will collect all the boxes, count the money, and then send it to the UUSC to fund their efforts.
By helping to make UUSC's work possible, we are all helping to support the interdependent web of life of which we are all a part and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person.
Our Whole Lives
Our Whole Lives is a series of sexuality education curricula for six age groups that helps participants make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior. It equips participants with accurate, age-appropriate information in six subject areas: human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture. Grounded in a holistic view of sexuality, Our Whole Lives not only provides facts about anatomy and human development, but also helps participants clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality.
We are going to offer two age group series this winter, grades K-3 and grades 4-7.
The required parent meeting for both groups will be on Sunday, January 5, from 2-4 p.m. at the Fellowship.
Both groups will meet on the following Sundays; the grades K-3 group, led by Laura McBride, will meet on Sunday mornings in place of the regular RE program, and the grades 4-7 group, led by Mary Alsager and Norma Bailey, will meet on Sunday evenings from 6:30 - 8:00 pm.
January 12, 19, 26
February 2, 9, 16, 23
March 2
Much more information will be provided at the required parent meeting. However, if you are interested and/or wish more information, please contact Laura McBride (989-772-5512 or lmcbride010@gmail.com) for the grades K-3 program, and please contact Norma Bailey (989-560-3952 or baile1nj@cmich.edu) for the grades 4-7 program. We will need to know numbers of participants in order to provide the resources of the programs.
The sermon for December 1st is But I'm Lonely, a Church of the Larger Fellowship sermon by Rev. Judith Walker-Riggs. “When fear grips the heart...may we bend and scoop some sand into our hands... Hidden among its grains are tiny seeds, at rest and waiting... Desert flowers. They endure. Moistened by our tears and by the rains which end even the longest drought, they send down roots and bloom...” What gets you through the desert times in your life?
Cuppa Joe
This past Sunday, we reflected on the stories that we are grateful for. You may have thought that the Thanksgiving story of the Pilgrims and the so-called "Indians" getting together for a feast was conspicuous by its absence among the stories that we shared. Read more...
First Sunday Food Collection
The UU's are known at the Food Pantry for being very generous and providing a variety of items that may be used by those in need. We traditionally bring donations and give the children a chance to collect them on the first Sunday of every month. All canned and dried foods are needed, but there is also a great demand for paper products and personal items such as toilet paper, facial tissue, deodorants, soap, lotion, men's shaving materials, shampoos and conditioners, etc. This Sunday, December 1, it would be nice if the children would have to go around the rows a couple of times in order to pick up all the items. Thank you in advance for your generous donations.
Christmas Outreach
This year our holiday giving will go to Christmas Outreach, which is a community-wide project that has helped numerous families in the last 20 years. Mari Potter will organize our involvement in this worthwhile endeavor. You can help in 4 different ways:
- Monetary contributions (made out to Christmas Outreach)
- Donate new or gently used items (clothing, bedding, towels, books, boots, toys, outerwear).
Mari will collect them on Nov. 24, Dec. 1 and 8. - Volunteer to help sort items (Dec. 4 - 6, 2 - 7 p.m.; Dec. 9 - 11, 2 - 7 p.m.)
- Volunteer to help with the distribution (Dec. 16 and 17, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.)
First Friday Potluck
Our monthly gathering to share a meal and have a fun social time together is happening Friday, December 6 at 6:00 p.m. Joyce Henricks will be hosting the potluck this month. Simply bring a dish to pass and your week-worn weary self to the UUFCM social hall for nourishment and rejuvenation - at least as much as can be gained from sharing a meal, conversation and laughter with friends. We hope you'll join us!
Guest at Your Table
The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC), an associate member of the Unitarian Universalist Association, is a nonsectarian organization that advances human rights and social justice in the United States and around the world. Through a combination of advocacy, education, and partnerships with grassroots organizations, UUSC promotes the rights of workers, advances environmental justice, defends civil liberties, and preserves the rights of people in times of humanitarian crisis. Its vision and mission are guided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the seven Unitarian Universalist principles that affirm the worth, dignity, and human rights of every person. On Sunday, November 24, we kicked off our congregation's annual celebration of the tradition of Guest at Your Table, a UUSC program. We asked that each family take home a Guest box featuring pictures of people from around the world, people who are working to defend their human rights. Along with each box came a copy of Stories of Hope which tells how UUSC works with courageous individuals worldwide to protect and promote human rights.
We are asking that each person or family take a Guest at Your Table box, put it on the table where they eat their meals, each day talk about one of the pictures or stories and then put their extra change in the box. At the end of the program, in about six weeks (January 5), we will collect all the boxes, count the money, and then send it to the UUSC to fund their efforts.
By helping to make UUSC's work possible, we are all helping to support the interdependent web of life of which we are all a part and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person.
Our Whole Lives
Our Whole Lives is a series of sexuality education curricula for six age groups that helps participants make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior. It equips participants with accurate, age-appropriate information in six subject areas: human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture. Grounded in a holistic view of sexuality, Our Whole Lives not only provides facts about anatomy and human development, but also helps participants clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality.
We are going to offer two age group series this winter, grades K-3 and grades 4-7.
The required parent meeting for both groups will be on Sunday, January 5, from 2-4 p.m. at the Fellowship.
Both groups will meet on the following Sundays; the grades K-3 group, led by Laura McBride, will meet on Sunday mornings in place of the regular RE program, and the grades 4-7 group, led by Mary Alsager and Norma Bailey, will meet on Sunday evenings from 6:30 - 8:00 pm.
January 12, 19, 26
February 2, 9, 16, 23
March 2
Much more information will be provided at the required parent meeting. However, if you are interested and/or wish more information, please contact Laura McBride (989-772-5512 or lmcbride010@gmail.com) for the grades K-3 program, and please contact Norma Bailey (989-560-3952 or baile1nj@cmich.edu) for the grades 4-7 program. We will need to know numbers of participants in order to provide the resources of the programs.
“In daily life, we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful
But gratefulness that makes us happy.”
~ David Steindl-Rast
The deadline for submissions to the Order of Service Insert and the UUFCM weekly e-News is Tuesday at 5 p.m. Please send all submissions to admin@uufcm.org
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